Sea Kelp
- Thread starter DeniseM
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JohnEGreen
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Hi and welcome to the forum.
Well it has an awful lot of vitamins and minerals but it does also have about 10g of carbs per 100 grams not that you would be likely to eat 100g. So I would see no real problem with it but others maybe more informed than I.
I will tag @daisy1 for you who will provide a welcome post with lots of good info.
Well it has an awful lot of vitamins and minerals but it does also have about 10g of carbs per 100 grams not that you would be likely to eat 100g. So I would see no real problem with it but others maybe more informed than I.
I will tag @daisy1 for you who will provide a welcome post with lots of good info.
JohnEGreen
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My mistake thought you meant as a food.unless it comes in very big tablets/capsules as I said it is rich in vitamins and minerals
Although having said that it is rich in iodine and potassium and those can be problematic for diabetes and kidney problems and those with thyroid conditions. Might not be such a good idea after all.
I personally don't often take supplements unless I have a proven deficiency and I suppose the best advice is if you have any doubts don't take it.
Although having said that it is rich in iodine and potassium and those can be problematic for diabetes and kidney problems and those with thyroid conditions. Might not be such a good idea after all.
I personally don't often take supplements unless I have a proven deficiency and I suppose the best advice is if you have any doubts don't take it.
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Ah..ok...'just digging out my kelp bottle...let's see what it says..'
" supports weight management....kelp is source of iodine>>iodine supports thyroid function/hormones and iodine supports normal energy yielding metabolism"
But as a straight forward 'weight loss tablet'...I would not like to say no, not straightforward way for every body anyway.. I would be suspicious about that claim.
Thing is..if there is issue with thyroid function, yes, iodine can/will then help, and thyroid that is not able to function fully/correctly can lead to tendency to gain weight. Under active thyroid = weight gain
BUT, if one takes iodine when thyroid is over doing its job...then supplementing with iodine can contribute to the issue too in negative way!
So if you need iodine because your thyroid function is not quite right, hence weight gain..yes, you would benefit...but if your thyroid is functioning correctly, addition of iodine quite likely would not have any effect what so ever as weight loss would be down to you dietary choices.
Iodine is not expensive supplement to buy...and taking some for a while to see if it would help you is unlikely to cause harm...being diabetic or not.
Have you had thyroid function tested or do you have known issues with it? If you are on thyroid medication then I would not take kelp supplement as well unless specifically recommended by doctors.
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Kelp tables...well at least those that I have don't have any vitamin addition at all, they are sold for source of iodine...'natural' kelp as in seaweed form...that is different 'kettle of fish'...VERY good for us indeed!
Thanks JohnEGreen and Finsky, I don't think I'll bother to take them as it might bring on more problems. It was worth asking though and thanks for your comments.
JohnEGreen
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...gerous-kelp-seaweed-granules-to-diabetic.html
Mind you I agree with a lot that she was being castigated over..
Mind you I agree with a lot that she was being castigated over..
If you take any multivitamins...most of those have iodine included in them anyway, enough for healthy thyroid's daily needs and we do get iodine through our diet/salt as well
Indy51
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I recall something about iodine supplementation being problematic if you have hypothryoid, especially if you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis which is an autoimmune disease. Apparently it is very rarely tested for (more expensive antibody testing) since they treat it in the same way as other forms of hypothyroid. I'd be wary of taking anything that might aggravate the condition.
daisy1
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@DeniseM
Hello Denise - here is the information we give to new members, mentioned above, and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions and you will get helpful replies.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Hello Denise - here is the information we give to new members, mentioned above, and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions and you will get helpful replies.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
